In a Prairie Attic: Bladon Family Toys

Learn the
story of the Bladon family, a couple and their seven children who came
from Illinois to Lang, Saskatchewan from 1910. Five of the seven children lived in the family home for their
entire lives.

Fortunately for the Western Development Museum and for the people of
Saskatchewan, the family were savers.
The WDM acquired more than 1700 artifacts from the Bladon home in addition
to several hundred farm machinery company pamphlets, booklets, and
advertising materials. The real treasure, however, was the toys. More than 200 are on display as part of this exhibit.

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The story begins in 1910 when A.R.(Dick) and Rilla Bladon and their six
young children boarded the train in Illinois and headed for a
new life in Saskatchewan.

Can you imagine...
Like many children, Mildred, Bill, and Buck Bladon had their tonsils
removed. In 1919 such surgeries were
often done at home. In preparation for the surgery on the three
youngsters, the Bladon parlour was scrubbed and sterilized, and the
operation carried out by two local doctors and a nurse.